In this episode of "NOC Your SOCs Off," host Dan Gundry explores the crucial topic of duty of care for control room operators with guests Tanya Lee and Megan Koehler of Evans Consoles. The discussion focuses on enhancing the operator experience and the responsibilities of industry professionals towards these vital yet often overlooked workers.

Megan Koehler, Director of Public Safety and Transportation at Evans, emphasizes the importance of supporting dispatchers, who she regards as first responders. She highlights the mental and emotional challenges faced by dispatchers, especially when dealing with emergencies. Megan's ten years in public safety have shown her the stark differences in working conditions across control centers and the urgent need for better support for these professionals.

Tanya Lee, with over five years at Evans, discusses her role in ensuring healthy and clean working environments for operators. She stresses the importance of preventive maintenance and ergonomic design in control rooms, linking physical work conditions directly to operators' mental well-being.

The episode also delves into the Denise Amber Lee Foundation's work, highlighting its role in training and supporting control room operators. The foundation focuses on improving communication and accountability in control centers, drawing from the tragic story of Denise Amber Lee, who was kidnapped and murdered due to dispatch errors. Nathan Lee, the foundation's founder, and Tanya's husband, aims to prevent such tragedies through better training and awareness.

Concluding the episode, Dan, Tanya, and Megan discuss the need for recognizing the mental health challenges faced by control room operators and emphasize the importance of community and support in this high-stress profession. The discussion underscores the vital role of operators in emergency response and the collective duty of the industry to care for and support these individuals.

On NOC Your SOCs Off, host Dan Gundry and Barco's Product Security Officer, Timo Kosig, discuss the evolution of product security in control room environments, emphasizing the critical distinction between corporate and product security. Highlighting the potential widespread impact of a security breach in control rooms overseeing critical infrastructure, they explore the limitations of traditional measures like air-gapping and underscore the need for a holistic approach. Organizations can better navigate the intricate landscape of cybersecurity in a progressively connected world through a more integrated security strategy encompassing both hardware and software and roles like Product Security Officer.

Professionals from the GSOC environment are moving over to the CSOC landscape, and this is a very noticeable change and sign of the SOC industry’s evolution. The transition unveils an unprecedented layer of similarities and experiences, clarified by the willingness to be the learner in the room. As the world moves toward navigating physical and cyber security, it is vital to understand these nuanced transformations and revelations with experts who can bring invaluable firsthand knowledge and reflections to the table. These conversations can improve businesses and their understanding of enhanced security standards in this increasingly interconnected world.

On a new segment of NOC Your SOCs Off, the experts explore the complexity of it all, GSOC/CSOC experts Sonia Travi-Knowles and Lambert Ebot divulged into the diverse challenges and revelations of this pivot. They also highlighted the crucial importance of adaptability, mission clarity, and process development in managing security in the progressively digital, remotely coordinated work environments.

Article written by Alexandra Simon.

In the latest episode of NOC Your SOCs Off, host Dan Gundry masterfully navigates the intricate world of space planning & design and its synergy with (VR) virtual reality tools. Guest Patrick Higaki, Director of Sales at Modus VR, sheds light on the transformative potential of VR in the commercial integration business. Recounting the inception story of Modus VR, Higaki emphasized the critical role of bridging the vision gap between clients and integrators. Clients can conceptualize their spaces in real-time through VR tools, leading to swifter and more streamlined design changes. While VR isn’t a substitute for engineering tools, it is a superior sales asset that aids in informed decision-making.

In an increasingly digital world, discussions around the transformation and future trends in command and control technologies are paramount. This necessity is born out of the escalating complexity and technological advancements of the 21st century, where a misstep can have significant ramifications. According to MarketsandMarkets, the command and control systems market, currently valued at $33 billion in 2022, is expected to grow to $44.9 billion by 2027, highlighting the significance and growth of this sector.

How did command and control technologies evolve over time, and what are the crucial pivots in their journey?

In the latest episode of the “NOC Your SOCs Off” podcast, host Dan Gundry navigated this intricate discussion with guest Paul Noble, founder and CEO of Activu. In this episode, Gundry and Noble explore the past, present, and future of command and control technologies, reflecting on Activu’s transformation from a hardware manufacturer to a software-focused company.

The conversation between Gundry and Noble included:

The transition of Activu from a hardware-centric company to a software-centric one, and the subsequent effects.

The role and importance of software in command and control systems in today’s market.

Insights into the future of command and control systems, with emphasis on mobility, collaboration, and potential impacts of virtual and augmented reality.

Paul Noble is the founder and CEO of Activu, a company that has remained at the forefront of the command and control technologies market for the past four decades. Activu is lauded for its pivot from hardware manufacturing to software development, a decision that placed it as a frontrunner in its industry. With a focus on using standard off-the-shelf, major brand hardware components while harnessing the power of software, Activu has set a high bar in its domain.

The workforce has changed as a result of COVID, but also from technology marching on. Some businesses and places of work don’t adapt as readily, leaving some companies and their employees behind. When it comes to GSOCs, how can their environment and use be improved with newer technologies and ideas?

On this episode of NOC Your SOCs Off, host Dan Gundry sat down to talk with Ryan Schonfeld, CEO and Founder of HiveWatch, about GSOCs and the space they inhabit. When talking about the current design, operations, and execution missing in the GSOC space, Schonfeld has plenty to say. “Planning is the first big miss, and that touches pre-planning, it touches the design of the physical space, it touches the tools and the technology, even the layout of the space, in terms of how the room’s going to be operationalized.”

This episode also covers:

1. The changing environment of GSOCs.

2. The right places for individuals in the GSOC space today.

3. Adapting to the changes in GSOCs since COVID.

Schonfeld is adamant that you cannot “rinse and repeat” the control rooms of the past. This means asking some vital questions: ‘Do we need one huge GSOC, or do we want to think about regionalizing our operations more to smaller regional SOCs?’ ‘Does everybody need to physically be there in person?’ ‘Does our control room support remote work?’ ‘Does it support people collaborating from different physical spaces?’

Ryan Schonfeld is the Founder and CEO of HiveWatch. He started in law enforcement before getting frustrated by antiquated equipment that was preventing from doing the best job he could. This then led to him getting his Master of Science degree in Information Systems from The George Washington University School of Business.

The workforce has changed as a result of COVID, but also from technology marching on. Some businesses and places of work don’t adapt as readily, leaving some companies and their employees behind. When it comes to GSOCs, how can their environment and use be improved with newer technologies and ideas?

On this episode of NOC Your SOCs Off, host Dan Gundry sat down to talk with Ryan Schonfeld, CEO and Founder of HiveWatch, about GSOCs and the space they inhabit. When talking about the current design, operations, and execution missing in the GSOC space, Schonfeld has plenty to say. “Planning is the first big miss, and that touches pre-planning, it touches the design of the physical space, it touches the tools and the technology, even the layout of the space, in terms of how the room’s going to be operationalized.”

This episode also covers:

1. The changing environment of GSOCs.

2. The right places for individuals in the GSOC space today.

3. Adapting to the changes in GSOCs since COVID.

Schonfeld is adamant that you cannot “rinse and repeat” the control rooms of the past. This means asking some vital questions: ‘Do we need one huge GSOC, or do we want to think about regionalizing our operations more to smaller regional SOCs?’ ‘Does everybody need to physically be there in person?’ ‘Does our control room support remote work?’ ‘Does it support people collaborating from different physical spaces?’

Ryan Schonfeld is the Founder and CEO of HiveWatch. He started in law enforcement before getting frustrated by antiquated equipment that was preventing from doing the best job he could. This then led to him getting his Master of Science degree in Information Systems from The George Washington University School of Business.

The control room industry is rapidly evolving, and one of the latest innovations in the space is virtual command centers. On this episode of the NOC Your SOCs Off podcast, Mark Templeton, founder of Headwell VR, joins Dan Gundry to explore this emerging technology and its potential applications.

Templeton began by providing some background on his company. He was one of the original employees of SVSI, which began in 2008 with a mission to deliver high-resolution professional video over a standard IP network. At that time, IP distribution was not yet widely adopted in the AV industry due to bandwidth limitations. However, over time, SVSI's vision proved its worth as bandwidth increased and more unique applications emerged.

Headwell VR was developed by AV professionals who were looking ahead to what might be possible in command center operations. They recognized that physical command centers have limitations on real estate and pixel size due to physical space constraints. To address this issue, they created an immersive virtual reality platform that allows remote operators to have unlimited access to dashboards, software tools, video assets, and GIS assets during an incident response scenario.

Instead of requiring viewers to wear headsets for extended periods of time, Headwell VR uses mixed reality overlays over existing remote operator workspaces. This allows operators to access all their content within seconds without any discomfort. The technology is tailored towards quick response scenarios, such as those encountered in public safety incidents, where there isn't always enough time available before action needs to be taken.